You have a bag of cotton and an iron bar, each indicating a mass of $ 100 \mathrm{~kg} $ when measured on a weighing machine. In reality, one is heavier than other. Can you say which one is heavier and why?

The correct answer is, a cotton bag will be heavier than the iron bar. 

The reason behind this is True Weight of Cotton and Iron.

We know that,

True weight = apparent weight + up thrust.

The bag of cotton has less density than that of the iron bar, so the volume of cotton bag is more compared to the iron bar. So the cotton bag experience more upthrust due to air.

Therefore, in the presence of air, the true weight of the cotton bag will be more in comparison to the true weight of the iron bar.

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Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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